06/09/2026
Heat and dogs, good read
Should you only ever exercise your dogs very early in the morning or later at night when temperatures start rising?
Well, honestly, that depends...
For pet owners, that may be wise depending on their dog and comfort level, however, take the following example of running dogs in harness sports, but you can apply this to any sport or work you do with your dogs.
No one is saying run your dog into the ground, again I can't include a temperature (number), there's too many variables, as well meaning as the advice to train early is, consider this...
People get up at the crack of dawn or before, to train their dogs in the coolest part of the day, the lowest temps (often with the highest humidity), nothing wrong with that if that's all they do, but people then go to an event where temps spike, classes run into the afternoon, you now have dogs running in temps, at times, they haven't trained for, dogs come in looking like dish rags, overheating and needing to be actively cooled and people wonder why!
If you only ever train your dogs very early, you can't then expect them to perform in an event, at times, in conditions they haven't trained for, you may still run, but you need to understand your dogs can be at significantly higher risk, so either don't run, or adjust accordingly, and be prepared.
By avoiding warmer conditions you only condition your dog not to be able to tolerate those conditions, so when they do experience those conditions it will really show.
If you have problems with dogs overheating, look for the why, if you can understand the why you are in a better position to help prevent it from happening again:
Is the dog acclimated for the conditions it's working in THAT DAY?
Is the dog physically conditioned for what you are expecting of him/her?
Is the dog well hydrated?
Can you read your dog?
Are you giving them a break when they need it?
Have you been training in the conditions you are expecting the dog to perform in THAT DAY?
The reality is, you can't only train in comfortable conditions, then expect a dog to perform when it becomes challenging.
"Train as you Fight"
Further information:
• Making a Heat Tolerant Dog
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DYTPPp4WM/
• ACCLIMATION
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D2rB7kuzk/
• ⚠️ Reading Dogs
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DL1zPEhxt/
